My Mom never sewed at all. She hated it! She flunked Home EC because an apron project she was assigned was less than a success. It turned her off sewing forever. When I learned I used our next door neighbor's machine and it wasn't anything remarkable, a 60's Singer. One of my Grandmas had an old Singer treadle that I never saw her use and don't know where it went. My other Grandma did amazing handwork, I still have some of it, mostly crochet. She did bedspreads and curtains even after she went blind!